Mitchell’s laws: The more budgets are cut and taxes inceased, the weaker an economy becomes. To survive long term, a monetarily non-sovereign government must have a positive balance of payments. Austerity = poverty and leads to civil disorder. Those, who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and monetary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
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Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, so you know what that makes me, for I am about to rush in to a discussion of (yikes!) religion.

I suspect that virtually all religions are based, at least partly, on morality, and morality usually is based on the Golden Rule. Despite what fundamentalists sometimes do, the fundamentals of religion are not how you dress, but how you act toward others – not how many prayers you recite, but how many people you help – not how often you attend a house of worship, but how often you put the welfare of others before your own.

The real purpose is not to cut costs. We easily could do that by reducing coverages. Rather, the purpose is to care for people who otherwise would have difficulty caring for themselves. The purpose is to aid people who have pre-existing conditions, or sudden, unexpected health events. The purpose is to help our fellow Americans who need our help.

And that is why I am so disappointed in the religious right. If anyone should understand and empathize with the desire to help the poor and the sick, it should be the religious. And the most religious should understand and empathize the most. Yet, it is the religious right who object most strongly – most selfishly, I should add – to the program.

And they object for the thinnest of excuses: Because a few people don’t want to “be forced to” buy health care insurance, and would rather . . . I don’t know what. That’s the reason?

Charity is a foundation of most religions. And yes, I know; charity begins at home. But it doesn’t end at home. And I simply can’t get it through my mind that people who pride themselves on being God-loving and God-fearing, could be so callous toward their fellow human beings.

I can’t get it through my mind that a guy who is apoplectic about pornography, is unmoved about real human suffering. I can’t get it through my mind that people who are angry about the illegality of aliens care nothing about the immorality of preventable sickness. I can’t get it through my mind that people incensed about gay marriage, are not equally incensed about dying children.

Who is at fault? It begins with the clergy. They are our teachers, the moral leaders of our community. Yet, where are their voices? Where are the demands that our underclass be helped? Where are the marches for the poor? How can the clergy stand before their flocks, preach goodness and mercy in the abstract, yet not care that people are sick and dying needlessly?

Did the recession make us cold? I think not. When other forms of misery occur in America – floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, fires – we rush out to help the misfortunate. Why not now? Is it politics? Is winning an election so important that it overrides compassion and human decency?

This is an appeal to America’s clergy. If you know a better way to help the sick and handicapped, fine. What is it? Speak up, now. One way or another, let the world hear your voices. Let the world see America as a kind, generous, religious nation, not just a pious one.

Clergy, please do your job. And if you don’t know what that is, ask your god.

Religion was not voluntary until Liberal minded people like Thomas Jefferson began to resist its enforced obedience. Have you read the story of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV? He stood in the snow outside the gates of the castle of Canossa for three days, from 25 January to 27 January 1077, begging the pope to rescind his excommunication (popularly portrayed as without shoes, taking no food or shelter, and wearing a hairshirt – the “Walk of Canossa”). The Pope lifted the excommunication, imposing a vow to comply with certain conditions, which Henry soon violated.

Well I believe every word of the bible is true and I’m equally perplexed Rodger. I mean the bible is all about helping the poor and disadvantaged! They will tell you that it is up to individuals and not government to help people but the bible doesn’t say that. The bible says that both government and individuals are responsible to help the poor.

I’m actually in favor of single payer and increased social security benefits and I have nothing but sympathy for illegal aliens but I have many friends and relatives who are very right wing and see things differently. Sometimes I feel like we are living in different realities. I guess people just see the world differently. I don’t know but I am tired of arguing with them and wish them no ill will. In fact I’m a little concerned about how divided our country is becoming.

That said I’m also sceptical of many progressives who think that government is always a force for good. I think corporations and government are equally corrupt. Even if we clean things up this go around it won’t take long again for the elites to figure out a new way to rip off the 99%. I guess that makes me a bible thumping left-libertarian.

There are lots of “religious” people on the right. They are very vocal. The problem is not that all religious people are republicans; but the truly religious, who are often on the left in terms of social morality and responsibility but on the right in terms of personal morality just don’t shout loud enough to be heard.

who engineered the crucifixion? The most powerful figures in the religious community of Judea. What did Jesus teach about the man robbed and left for dead on the Jericho road? That a Pharisee passed by, then a Levite passed by, both on the far side of the road, probably in fear lest the man be dead and they become unclean by coming near, and be excluded from the feast at Jerusalem. But that a heretic of Samaria had pity on the poor man, labored, sacrificed and went surety for him — a total stranger — for what reward? Only that of his own conscience!

Rodger: I wouldn’t count on Christians to behave in a genuinely Christian way, and ditto for other religions. Prior to the French Revolution, the church was on the side of the aristocrats, not the peasants.

Why stop with providing health care by government mandate? Mandate that every person has a right to a large home and an income so they can pay for their healthcare.

Life is about choices and many people even if they had sufficient money make bad life choices that are detrimental to their health. Why not have the govt. mandate that everyone eat only healthy foods and exercise regularly, maintain a body mass index of 25. Mandate that no one can smoke or drink alcohol or use illegal drugs.

Then why let people make poor choices and abuse their bodies and then require others who make good life choices pay for their damaging behavior.

I realize some people have diseases that are not self induced. Help these people but not the ones who could have good health but destroy their bodies willingly.

next we will all be forced to eat broccoli, or liver, if our representatives and judges cannot deal with the healthcare issue in an adult manner, they should step down. you can bet your ass that they all have decent health insurance. medicare for all!

Mandate that every person has a right to a large home. We used to have this in the USA, maybe not the “large”. There were no homeless people. Many are too young to remember this – and how swiftly people got used to seeing things that they would have been shocked by a few years before.

Mandate that every person has .. an income Used to have this too, when it was understood that full employment was the responsibility of the government.

Universal health care, better than even wealthy Americans get nowadays, full employment (guaranteed jobs), housing for everyone – these things are easy to do, and will create real wealth, not subtract from the wealth that the innumerate & historically ignorant, blinded by recent fanatical “free market” ideology think comes only from this mythical “free market”.

One statement, besides I have just read some of the most moronic comments I ever have, has anyone here actually read or studied history? Practical Christianity, for most of it’s putrid existence has been a scourge upon humanity. It is to rational thought what sweetness is to a lemon. It is to compassion and the common good what Pol Pot was to human rights.

Roger asks, “How can the clergy stand before their flocks, preach goodness and mercy in the abstract, yet not care that people are sick and dying needlessly?”

The answer is that large organized religions define “morality” as service to the religion, or to the church. “Truth” is church dogma. Since the dogma is fairy tales, large organized religions can only survive by allying with the One Percent, which means brainwashing their flocks of sheep into subservience. Imperialist murder and theft are “God’s will.” So is racism. The One Percent rule by “divine right.” Wave the flag and bless the slaughter.

This alliance with the One Percent is why the Catholic Church so hates people like Hugo Chavez. It is also why communist revolutionaries target churches.

Roger writes, “I can’t get it through my mind that a guy who is apoplectic about pornography is unmoved about real human suffering….”

Religious people focus on trivial matters and other-worldly fantasies, in order to avoid facing reality, and avoid taking personal responsibility. Why should they care about dying children, when it’s much easier to sit around whining about abortion?

Talk to members of a large organized church, and listen to them carefully. You will see that they are among the most hostile, hate-consumed people on the planet. I have no use for them.